


Any Port In a Storm

by UselessLilium (o0whitelily0o)



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Implied Tokoha/Kumi, only G-SG characterization in this house
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 02:14:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12644061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/o0whitelily0o/pseuds/UselessLilium
Summary: Ever since Tokoha left for France, Kumi can't help feeling a little adrift. When she finds out one of her classmates wants to start learning Vanguard, though, helping him turns out to be more complicated than the fun distraction she first expected.





	Any Port In a Storm

As she wandered out into the courtyard, Kumi snuck a peek at her phone, just to see if maybe the clock had reversed fifteen minutes since she last checked. Still no good. Half past four here meant half past eight in the morning in France... and Tokoha would already be in class. The narrow window between when she woke up and when she reached school had just barely slipped by. Kumi pouted, tapping her phone against her chin. She should’ve snuck in a text before starting the classroom clean-up.

Still, there was no point letting it get her too down. It couldn’t be helped, that was all. She couldn’t have skipped her turn to clean, after all, and she definitely wouldn’t want to bother Tokoha during class. Her best friend was working so hard, chasing her dreams all the way across the world, and Kumi was way too proud of her to disrupt that. And, besides, she’d be able to talk during Tokoha’s lunch break. She always looked forward to that; Kumi had even gotten in the habit of waiting to have dinner until they were video-chatting, so they could eat together. It made Tokoha feel a little closer.

But that was almost four hours away, and in the meantime... what was there to do?

Kumi rolled a small rock under her shoe, eyeing the entrance gate and hesitating. Chrono was already off to his part-time job. Luna and Am were way too busy to even talk most days, let alone hang out. So Kumi was left by herself to find some way to kill time until Tokoha’s next call.

Not that she didn’t have fun by herself, of course! There were all kinds of things to do in the city. Window shopping was always interesting, and recently she’d started to get into taking photos she could share online. Not to mention there were always people around the park or shops who would be interested in a Vanguard match if she felt like it. 

But, today... she just didn’t really feel like doing any of that. She sighed, rolling the rock back and forth. Maybe she should just go home and start her homework after all. 

...Just one thing first, she thought with a small smile, before swinging her leg back and giving the rock a good, satisfying kick!

Only to send it skittering off at an angle, to hit the ankle of a boy sitting on one of the benches.

“Ah!” She gasped, quickly darting over to apologize, “I’m sorry-!” Only when she got closer did she recognize which boy it was. Kazuma Shouji, her classmate. And he didn’t seem to have noticed either her or the rock. He was too busy staring at a deck of cards. Kumi blinked, and inched over bit by bit to get a better look. Yep, they were Vanguard cards alright. The one on top looked like a wizard, bright pinks and teals decorating his robes. She’d never seen that unit before, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, that one’s so pretty!” 

_ Then  _ he noticed her, jumping maybe an inch off the bench with a grunt. Kumi managed to hold back a slightly guilty giggle, and just smiled at his startled face. “You’re a Vanguard player, Shouji-kun?”

As his shock faded, she was surprised to see wariness replacing it. Vanguard was a popular game, surely there wasn’t anything strange about asking? “That’s-” Then he shook his head, pocketing the deck. “Not really.”

“Oh, then you’re starting?” She clapped her hands together. “That’s great, I remember getting my first deck, too! It was so much fun to pick out.”

Kazuma’s eyebrows, she noted, were interesting to watch as they shifted up and down between confusion and the more grumpy look she was used to seeing on him. “It’s... really not a big deal.” As he stood, his hand kept lingering over the pocket, a finger still curled into it. “It’s just something my friends are getting into. Gotta keep up with the fads, you know.”

Kumi beamed. “You  _ are  _ like me, then. I only started playing at first because a friend got me into it.”

“That so.” 

“Yep! That’s why I can say, with total certainty-” She pointed a finger gun at him and shot with a wink. “You’ll get hooked in no time!”

“...Great.” Then his hand did drop back to his side, expression finally moving away from grumpiness into something almost cold. Kumi couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy at that. They were classmates, but other than that and some rumors she didn’t exactly trust, she didn’t know much about him. Maybe she was being too familiar... But then he looked over his shoulder at her and asked, “Guess you’d know where a card shop is, then?”

“Eh?”

He shrugged. “Just figured it’d be a good place to learn the rules. But if you’re busy, it’s no big deal.”

Face splitting into a grin, she nodded. “I’m not busy at all! Leave it to me, I know just the place.” He didn’t seem all that enthusiastic to be asking, but even so, this was just what Kumi needed today. Helping someone get into her favorite game was definitely going to be fun. And, well, he just looked so  _ surly _ . She couldn’t help but want to try and change that.

 

* * *

“Chrooono-kun!” Kumi called out as soon as she stepped through the shop door, waving an arm. “I have a job for you!”

“Kumi... what’s up?” He caught sight of the boy following after her, tilting his head to get a better look. “And who’s this, a classmate?”

“That’s right! Meet Shouji-kun!” Kumi said, brandishing her arms at Kazuma for emphasis. 

He rolled his eyes a little, but nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.” He looked around the store, expression still kind of bored. “So you teach people here, too?” Kumi felt a little disappointed. It was such a great shop, after all! He should be more impressed.

“Yeah, we’ve got a whole set-up for Cardfights over there. But,” Chrono hesitated, then said, “You know, Kumi, since you brought him, why don’t you teach him?”

“Me?” She pointed to herself, just to be sure. When he nodded, she had to say, “But... you’re a Generation Master. Wouldn’t he learn better from-”

“C’mon, you’re a great player! And teaching someone opens you up to new ways of thinking about the game.” He grinned, a little sheepish. “Or, well, that’s what I think anyway. It’s a good experience, basically!”

...She had to admit, when he put it like that, it did sound like it’d be fun to try. When she glanced back over at Kazuma, he rubbed the back of his head and just sighed. “Look, I really don’t care  _ who  _ teaches me. It doesn’t have to be anything big like a Generation-whatever. You can do it, if you want.”

“Oh...” Then, with a big smile and burst of energy as his agreement sunk in, “Sure! You got it! Right this way, the tables are over here.” She just couldn’t stop beaming. She’d never taught anyone else the game before! And this way she could get the grouchy look off Kazuma’s face herself. Oh, oh, what had Tokoha told her, when she was first starting? Ahh, she wanted to make sure she got this right! With a small spin, she planted herself firmly on the opposite end of the table from him and cleared her throat. “Now, we’re going off to the planet Cray-”

“Seriously?” Kazuma said, not quite groaning, “I already know all that. Just remind me of the rules.”

Blinking, she tilted her head a little. “Oh... then, you  _ have  _ played before?”

He shrugged, looking down at his deck as he shuffled. “Just a little, when I was a kid. Which is the only time I might have bought all that stuff.”

“No way!” She shook her head, with enough force to send her curls flying everywhere. “Maybe it just sounds like kid stuff, but every part really is important to the game! No matter how far we might be from Cray, we’re connected to them through our cards. And remembering that - imagining them with all our might - makes us better fighters.” She leaned over to duck her head and look him in the eye, with her most stern and hopefully teacher-like face. “So you can’t skip that part, okay?”

His frown twitched a little bit, but he just let out a sigh and placed his deck in it’s position. “Whatever you say, Teach. So what do we do next?”

 

* * *

The fight went quick - Kazuma was a fast learner, even if he had played a long time ago. At first Kumi felt like she was watching herself, as he made the connections between her moves and his countermeasures and what her upcoming strategy was going to look like. Bit by bit, his whole demeanor changed. Grins and energy burst out of him - she could practically feel his mind working, picturing the fight laid out in front of them.

Well, she wasn’t any slouch either! If he was this good, then even as a lesson, she wanted to give her all. And besides, going easy on him when he was getting so passionate would just be rude.

But then, just as she flipped over the second critical trigger for her attack, ready to land what she hoped would be her final blow, Kazuma said, “Well, I guess that’s enough.”

Kumi blinked, and checked the damage zone again just to be sure. Sure enough, he still only had four damage. Her attack hadn’t landed yet, and he hadn’t even done his damage check. But he just laughed a little, already scooping up his cards. “You’re really just a regular player? Guess I shouldn’t have underestimated you.”

“Um... Shouji-kun, are you sure you don’t want to keep going?” Kumi asked, eyebrows furrowing a little in confusion, “You could still draw a heal trigger, and-”

“No, it’s fine,” he said, “Thanks for the help. I think I’ll manage alright on my own next time.”

But he wasn’t looking at her at all, and even though he was smiling, it didn’t look even a little bit happy. She started twisting her hands a little, and hid them under the counter. She just... didn’t know what she did wrong. “You know, it... it was just luck, pulling both of those critical triggers. And  _ everyone  _ has luck, there’s still a chance-”

“Just  _ shut up _ .” He slammed his hand on top of his deck, grabbing it tightly enough for his knuckles to turn white. “You don’t have to make excuses, I don’t want to be  _ babied _ , I just-” Then he froze up for a second, the color draining out of his face, before quickly muttering, “See ya,” and practically running out the door.

Kumi was stuck staring after him, even when she heard Chrono hurrying over to her. “Whoa, what the hell? What happened there?”

Her mouth wobbled a little, and she turned to looked up at him with wide, miserable eyes. “I messed up. I don’t know how, but...” She glanced back towards the door, and then to the other side of the table, like the answer was hiding somewhere between them. “He was having fun! You saw it too, right? I- I must have done something, to make him so upset-”

“Hey, no way. You were doing a great job from what I saw.” Chrono pat her shoulder. “Maybe he’s just a bad loser. Some people are like that, it’s not  _ your _ fault.”

She shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Maybe, but...” But the change felt so sudden. Like a switch had been flipped, shutting down all that enthusiasm. And the way he’d acted at the end... it just didn’t  _ feel _ like he was just throwing a fuss.

Chrono paused, dropping his hand  “Well, maybe you should try asking him about it, then? If you’re nervous, I could go with you.”

She did take a few seconds to consider the offer, but finally Kumi shook her head and pumped her fists. “No, it’s okay. I’m his teacher, so I should figure out what went wrong!” And she couldn’t be sure, but she didn’t think Kazuma would like having two people ganging up on him about it. But she turned to smile up at Chrono, and said, “Thanks, though, Chrono-kun. You’re sounding very responsible these days, you know. You’ll definitely make a great Clan Leader!”

He grinned. “Still gotta pass the exam first, though. All the responsible talk won’t matter until then.”

“You can definitely do it.” She clapped a hand on his shoulder, and swept the other out in front of them both. “Just imagine it - here comes the youngest Clan Leader ever, Chrono Shindou! The Gear Chronicle era has finally arrived!”

“I get it, I get it.” He shook her off in a good-natured kind of way. “If you support me that much, why not ask Tokoha if she’ll convince Mamoru to actually give me a study guide to work off of?” With a roll of his eyes, he muttered, “‘Whenever I ask, he just tells me to focus on high school for now. Like there’s any point in waiting around.”

Kumi giggled. “Why not ask her yourself, then?”

“Well, she might actually agree if  _ you’re  _ the one asking.” He shrugged. “Besides, you’ve always got her lunch booked. Kinda hard to make my case over texts.”

“Oh. Guess that’s true...” She hadn’t thought about it like that, but Chrono had a point. There were so few chances to get to talk to Tokoha directly, and Kumi was always taking up the easiest block of time for herself. She looked up at him, a little anxiously. “If you want, I could keep it short today and ask her to call you after.”

Chrono blinked. “What? No, that’s your time. I’m staying in touch just fine.” Kumi still hesitated. She’d gotten closer to Chrono since Tokoha left and Shion went off to his new high school, but she didn’t really know how close that was. After all, she couldn’t exactly replace either of them.

Still, his expression remained steady, and when she started to say, “Well, if you’re sure...” he just nodded again and smiled. It made her feel a little better, at least. Though that whole talk also reminded her to check the clock. Already after five. “Oh!” She jumped into action, quickly scooping her own cards back up, “I better get going.” Not that she had a strict curfew, but she wanted to at least get her homework done before Tokoha’s call. “Sorry, I guess we didn’t get to talk much-”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ve got work to do anyway.” As if to prove his point, the bell over the front door jingled and a trio wandered in. One girl had a particularly excited gleam in her eye, and was holding her deck to her chest.

“Um, excuse me,” she asked, hurrying right up to him, “Are you Chrono Shindou?”

“Yeah, just a second-” he quickly turned back to Kumi and said, “See you at school?”

She nodded, waving a hand and hurrying for the door. “Of course!”

 

* * *

The homework went more quickly than Kumi expected. She tried to kill the remaining hour in various ways. Watching television. Looking at some of the photos Tokoha posted a little while ago. Going through her deck. But no matter what she did, she couldn’t quite get the fight earlier out of her head. Even though he was so excited once the fight got going, and even though he was doing such a good job... everything just shut off without warning. She went over what she’d said, the moves she’d made. What could have caused it?

‘ _ I don’t want to be babied _ ’, he’d said... was that what she’d been doing? Now that she thought about it... had she even told him how impressed she was with his fight? The longer she mulled it over, the less sure she was that she’d been a good enough teacher for him. Really, someone like Chrono  _ would  _ have been better.

She was still thinking about it, even when she got her dinner all ready and Tokoha’s call finally rang out on her laptop. She tried to set the issue aside and focus on her friend... but of course Tokoha could tell she was a little distracted. And it didn’t take much prodding for everything to spill out.

Tokoha’s eyes were wide and astonished at the end of the story, a sharp edge in her voice as she asked, “He did  _ what _ ?”

Kumi nodded at her computer screen. “Yep. He stopped everything, just like that. The fight hadn’t even finished yet.”

“Even though you were doing him a favor-!” But as quickly as Tokoha’s outrage flared, it eased back into a dissatisfied hum. “But... yeah, I get why you’re worried. That is pretty weird. Even if he’s a sore loser, you’d think he’d still wait until after the fight to pull a tantrum or try to say you cheated, or something more like that.”

“Mm...” Kumi took another bite of pumpkin tempura, before adding, “I’m gonna go talk to him tomorrow. I’d like to clear things up.” She pouted and slid forward until her chin was on the desk. “If he wound up hating the game over this, that’d be awful.”

“I think it’s a good idea, but,” Tokoha said, crossing her arms, “If he does turn out to just be a jerk, don’t feel like you have to bend over backwards to make him feel better.”

Kumi smiled a little. “I won’t, don’t worry. But I really don’t think he is.” Tilting her head, she sat back up and leaned towards the screen to admit, “He reminds me a little of Chrono, actually. Back in middle school. The way that he acts all grouchy in that same kind of way, and then turns into a totally different person during the fight.” And... she didn’t think she could explain this well enough to Tokoha if she said outloud, but. When she thought about it, he seemed kind of lonely. Kazuma  _ had  _ mentioned having friends he wanted to play with, she knew, but she couldn’t remember seeing him ever hanging out with their classmates. And the way he was sitting all alone, and the fact that he hadn’t asked any of them to teach him... something about it all just didn’t feel right.

“Really? ...Well, if he’s anything like Chrono, he’ll be a hand-full for a while.” But Tokoha grinned. “Good luck, Kumi! Let me know how it goes.” Then she paused, and said, a little softer, “And if anything does happen, you know you can call, right? Even if I’m in class, or asleep, I’ll make sure to pick up. I can always say I have to go to the nurse’s or something.”

“...I know.” And she did, honestly. Kumi knew how much Tokoha cared about people. About her. But she shook her head. “It’s really okay, though! I’m sure I can handle this.”

Tokoha smiled back, that soft look still not quite gone. Seeing it made Kumi feel, very strongly, that she wished she could hug her friend right now. “Yeah, I know you can.”

 

* * *

It was pretty lucky that he was her classmate. This way, running into each other was inevitable. Which made getting his attention nice and convenient. “Shouji-kun!” Kumi said, bounding over to him as he meandered in a few seconds before the bell, “I have something to talk to you about!”

He stiffened, but hesitated a little before he put on a smirk and pushed past her. “I gotta get to my desk. You don’t want to get me in trouble, right?”

Well... “That’s okay. How about during lunch, then?”

“Yeah, fine,” he said, waving a hand and not looking back at her.

But then he managed to blend into the crowd, and kept out of sight until, sure enough, he came wandering back in only a few seconds before the next class started. Kumi shuffled her feet under her desk. Was he just going to avoid her like this forever? Maybe she should try being more forceful about it, like Tokoha would be.

When the last bell rung, she leapt to her feet and moved fast. “Shouji-kun!” She planted herself in the doorway before he could get through, “As- as your teacher, I have to talk to you.”

He blinked. “As my...” Then he scowled. “Look, that’s over, okay? You don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

“That’s not for the student to decide-” she started to say, but the way his face closed up made the rest of the words she had planned disappear in her mouth. He almost looked sick, really. Worried she’d overdone it, Kumi took a step away from the doorway, and just said, “Please? It’s been bothering me a lot... I’d really like to talk about it.”

He glanced over at her, the sick look starting to ease. As more people filed out, walking past the two of them, she half-expect him to turn and leave too. But finally he let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head. “If it’ll get you off my back. But not here, okay?”

Smiling in relief, she nodded. “Of course, no problem. C’mon, we can talk outside.” She led him out to the back of the building, safely out of sight of other people. She didn’t look back to make sure he followed - either he’d try to slip away again, or he wouldn’t. Sitting herself down at one of the stone benches, she patted at the space next to her. After a second or two, he did as requested and sat down.

“Well, I guess, first, I wanted to apologize.” He made a surprised grunting sort of sound, while she kicked her feet a little. “It was my first time teaching anyone, and I probably got a little too excited. So I forgot to say something really important.” She turned and pumped her fists with a smile. “You did a really great job, Shouji-kun! You picked everything up right away, even my strategies! I was so impressed, it made me go all-out.”

He blinked, clearly at a loss for what to say. She knew it... she should’ve said that while they were playing. “That’s...” he started, then looked down at the ground, rubbing an arm, “Well, I have played before, it’s not a big-”

“But not for a long time, right? So this might as well have been the first. And a great fight deserves congratulations!” She clapped her hands, smiling. “So: good job, Shouji-kun!”

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. It seemed like he was suspicious, but... of what? She tilted her head, still smiling, until he finally muttered, “...Thanks.”

But he didn’t say anything else, and she wasn’t finished with what she wanted to say either. So, she figured it was alright to keep going. “You know, I lost my first real cardfight.”

“...Huh?”

“It was against Chrono - you know, from the store. We first played each other back in middle school. I really thought I had him on the ropes, but right when I was about to land the final blow-!” She clapped her hands, shooting one off towards the sky. “He turned the tables, in just one turn! I totally lost, just when I was getting the most excited.”

“...Hm.” He straightened up, looking at her more fully. “It’s not weird to lose your first fight, though.”

“Well, it’s not like that’s the only time I’ve ever lost.” Kumi hummed, her legs swinging back and forth again. “My best friend, too, she’s a super strong fighter. She’s beaten me loads of times. She’s even played in tournaments, and Chrono was one of her teammates. All of them, they’ve done all kind of amazing things together.” And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep a little wistfulness out of the next part. “I mean, the kind of challenges they’ve faced, and beaten... there’s no way I could match up to them.”

“But that’s-” There’s some surge of emotion on his face, but he buried it too quickly for her to really understand. Instead, the way he finishes is stiff and feels too short. “It is frustrating, right? To keep losing.”

She puffed up her cheeks. “Hey, I do win sometimes.” But she let the pout give way as she shook her head. “But really, I can’t think of it like that. No matter what, the game is just too fun. I just can’t give it up.” She smiled. “Besides... you learn things from losing, too. Even if it’s just what kind of player your opponent is. I might not have been able to be friends with Chrono like I am now if we never played against each other.”

Kazuma didn’t say anything to that. After a few seconds, though, he dropped his head, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.  “...Sorry. Guess you didn’t learn anything good yesterday.”

“Not at all!” She leaned forward, to try and look him in the eye, and managed to at least catch the corners. “I learned something very important. And it’s that I want to get to know you better, Shouji-kun.”

He didn’t jump or anything, but when he turned to look at her, it was slow. Almost nervous, it seemed to her. “And why would you wanna do that?”

“Because, I liked playing against you. I liked seeing the kind of person you were. Why wouldn't I want to know more?” She sat back up straight, trying to word this right. “It’s okay if you don’t want to play again right away. But... I hope you want to again, some day. Because I’d really like a rematch!” She flexed her arms. “You’ve only seen a glimpse of what I’m capable of, too, you know!”

That made him snort and look away again. “You must have a lot of free time.”

“I do, actually!”

His mouth inched closer towards a smile at that, until pausing and dropping back down. “Look, that’s. Nice of you to say. But I really... don’t feel like playing again. Sorry.”

Well, she’d be lying if she said that wasn’t a little bit of a disappointment. But only a little. “I said that was okay, didn’t I? There’s other ways we can get to know each other. Like- oh!” She clapped her hands, and jumped to her feet. “I know a bakery nearby with the best croquettes, why don’t I show you?”

He gave her a flat look. “I don’t remember saying  _ I _ wanted to get to know  _ you  _ better. And I have stuff to do myself, you know.”

“...Oh. Right, um-”

“But,” he continued, standing up with an almost mischievous glint to his eye, “If it’s just a quick stop, I guess I could eat something. If you’re buying.”

Kumi blinked. Then, she giggled, nodding. “Okay, just this once.” She smiled up at him, “Careful, though. You really shouldn’t tease the person buying you food.” When she finally saw an amused smile start to crack on his face, she felt sure she was making the right decision. It was a small enough price to pay, she figured, to start making a new friend.

**Author's Note:**

> My brain says 'one-shot', my heart says 'drabble collection'. I'm listening to my brain for now, but if I do decide to go ahead and add to this, I'll update the info accordingly.


End file.
